


The Paradox Suite

by risingEmbers



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Candy route, Cherubs - Freeform, Civil War, F/F, F/M, Fluff and Angst, God tiers, Humor, M/M, Meat route, Meta, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Outer Space, Racism, So I guess its an AU now?, Strong Language, The Homestuck Epilogues, Time Travel, Trauma, Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms, Violence, War, Written before Homestuck 2, post-epilogue
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-30
Updated: 2019-10-20
Packaged: 2020-01-31 07:24:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 11
Words: 16,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18586537
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/risingEmbers/pseuds/risingEmbers
Summary: (I HEAVILY RECOMMEND YOU READ THE EPILOGUES BEFORE READING THIS)The Muse looked up, black eyes reflecting the streaks of green light streaming into the black hole, the taste of blood still lingering in her mouth"The Prince is coming"_____________________________(VRISKA): Terezi come oooooooon answer you're phone already(VRISKA): Pick up!!!!!!!!(VRISKA): gog DAMN IT TEREZIShe puts the phone in her pocket. "Come on, Lalonde, follow me""Where are we going?"(Vriska) points at up to the night sky as a drone flies overhead, "We're gonna highjack a ship"Vriska's eyes widened and a grin spread across her face,"Fuck. Yes."(Tags will be updated as the fic progresses)





	1. Of Circuits and Serkets

**Author's Note:**

> So the epilogue raised more questions than it answered and I have no idea if we'll get more (but I sure hope so, unpopular opinion I think but I liked it, even if it was really emotionally draining)  
> So in the meantime, I'm filling in the blanks myself. This fic will follow on with similar themes to the epilogue, and will cover both sides, and while I don't think I'll go as hard as Hussie did, expect a bit of discussion on some of those themes.  
> Updates will be irregular until I finish my exams

==> Be Terezi

You've been on this ship for two years now and you are bored out of your skull. You initially stowed away on this ship on a whim, but now? You don't know anymore. Rose is acting strange and distant, well more so then usual, and Dirk? He's been holing himself in his quarters, playing with shitty anime swords and planning whatever it is he's been planning. Otherwise, the dull hum of the ship's engine is your only company.  
You wish you had your phone with you.

You sniff at the air, and a familiar smell drifts towards you. _Grey and yellow?_ you wonder, and pause, turning your head to get a better sense of your surroundings. Bare feet pad against the floor, forming a counterpoint to the sharp clangs of your cane against the metal floor. You reach out, taking a handful of these small, metal chunks, and stick them in your mouth with the reckless abandon of a hoofbeast sticking its snout into food. The memory reminds you of blueberries and blood for a second, but it dissipates before you remember where from.  
You realise your mistake the second you make it, a wave of pain spreads through your fang and you feel a crack. You taste the spice of the human food John once showed you, and you almost want to laugh (another part of you almost wants to cry). Then a second taste hits you, and it dawns on you that you just ate fucking batteries. You take a second to ruminate on this, before giggling to yourself. It's a hoarse sound, like a meowbeast throwing up a hairball, before skulking away. You smell lavender.

==> Be Rosebot

You look up from your ironing board to see Terezi munching on your batteries. You are not surprised by anything anymore, which isn't necessarily a big development, given your growing command of your Seer abilities. You get back to work: practiced, methodical, robotic movements taking over. You want to scoff, when you were a teenager you were a goddess, now you are a handmaid. Not too long ago, but what feels like a lifetime ago now, you would iron clothes with Kanaya, who would then tell you to stop before you burnt them. You now have enough practice to not need help anymore, so there's one silver lining to this cloud. You don't feel that this is a very good trade. Then there's a beeping behind you and your breath would hitch in your throat, if you had one. You pretend a transistor buzzes, or something. You are completely sure that this is how computers work.

You look over to the computer, although you already have an idea what is waiting for you. The computer screen shows a planet, red and fiery with tyrian rivers criss-crossing it's surface, it looked beautiful, but you type a command into the computer and run an analysis. The program takes a minute to run, where your thoughts race. _What class? Is this it? What if it's M-class, or even S-class? Can I finally get off this ship?_. There's a synthesised voice clip of Jake saying "Tally Ho!", the sign that the analysis is complete, and the results come back as C-class. Uninhabitable. You sigh, and gets back to ironing. At least Dirk hasn't been practicing rap battles against his AI again.

There's an incoming call on your system. "Rose I want to debate philosophy with you." You know you don't really have a choice

"Fine, you start, Prince."

"Camus was right."

"About what?"

"Everything."

"Well he was not right about getting in his publisher's car in 1960"

And so passes another day in limbo.

==> Be (Vriska)

Today has been a long day. You fought English, unleashed the Juju, and before you could even find out what happened next, you were sucked into the black hole and were spat out on Alternia-2, made out with a clown, killed the clown and met your descendant, who is apparently Kanaya and Rose's daughter? Jegus, what the hell happened here. You leave them alone for a couple of hours and suddenly John's ancestor is a dictator and Karkat has become some Signless ripoff? Typical. Juuuuuuuust typical.  
Other Vriska pulls you up by the wrist.

"Come on, I have a lot of people you have to see!"

You follow her down the streets, noting the drones flying overhead and the wanted poster of Meenah (you don't try to unpack this right now, you decide you'll find her later), telling her stories of your old friends, like how on their first date her mother got wasted on human soporifics and fell down a flight of stairs (she never touched them for the rest of the journey), Vriska didn't know whether to laugh or find this horribly embarrassing. You tell her it was both.

Upon arriving, Vriska reached for the door, "Oh, they are gonna freak out seeing you" she says, before she turns and looks at you for a second, her right eyebrow quirking in the way Rose's used to. She raps on the door for eight quick beats. There's a pause, and the door opens. There she is, the first Matesprit you ever had (even if it lasted a perigee or two). You can't believe how she looks so _grown up_ , her skin has turned dark, like in those old propaganda posters of what adult trolls are supposed to look like, horns towering straight into the air, and her eyes have finally filled with a deep jade. Lines have faintly etched into her face, and her claws have been trimmed, better for a maternal role, you suppose.

Her eyes bulge, and her jaw turns slack. 

"ROSE! GET DOWN HERE RIGHT NOW"

Vriska's grin widens as her other mother runs down the stairs, eyes ablaze and wands in hands, before immediately relaxing upon seeing her daughter. "Oh, Vriska, you're home early". 

"Seriously, Lalonde? I've been gone like, fifteen sweeps? And that's too early for you?"

"What do you mean, Vrisk'-" A pause as she sees the copy of her daughter in front of her, "Vriska? I don't mean to be rude but... why are you alive?"


	2. Strider Style

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which a deal is brokered and an idea is formed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the positive responses so far! I'm building up something pretty big here so stick around!

> Show off

"I mean come on, we all know that a stupid little space alien couldn't kill me" you say, proudly with a stupid grin on your face

"But the last we saw of you was when you were fighting Lord English? How did you defeat him?" Rose asks, incredulously. 

"Well" you start, and pump yourself up to tell the Completely True Story of How You Most Definitely Defeated Lord English, but are interrupted before you can begin by Kanaya offering tea. You are hurried inside ("Oh you must be so cold, having waited outside in the vacuum of space"), pfft, they're such lusii now. You don't remember Spidermom ever making such an effort. The thought stings, but you've had your arm blown off. Stings are nothing in comparison. You are ushered inside, and it is only in the light of their hive that they notice the purple stains covering your hands and dappled across your clothes. The two share a look that you can't quite place. Vriska looks like an antlerbeast caught in the headlights.

"Vriska," Kanaya begins,"(Vriska), sit down, we have a lot to talk about".  
You take a seat at the table, and Rose begins to tell her story.

"Let me tell you about what has happened the past years"

"Oh come on, I've had this exposition once already, cut to the chase already". John, and later Vriska filled you in on the basics, "Jane's a xenophobe, and everything snowballed and there's a civil war. It's like Alternia all over again."

"But don't you want to hear about how Jane seized control, or what happened to Dirk?"

"Which one's Dirk again?"

Rose looks hurt, and for a second you wonder what the deal is, before reminding yourself to not care. Kanaya takes her hand under the table.

"So why are you covered in purple blood stains that are Gamzee's exact colour?" Kanaya asks, although by the way her eyes narrow she definitely knows why. It's not like you have much plausible deniability. 

"I ripped his bulge off and killed him" you say, trying to sound as nonplussed as possible. You are so nonplussed, in fact, that you most definitely did not shudder slightly for even thinking about the events that led up to the event. You are an icon of stoicism and good coping mechanisms. You immediately repress your emotions, like an adult.

There is a silence, and for a second you could hear nothing but the wind outside. It disappears as quickly as it came, as Rose erupts into laughter, even Vriska looks somewhat concerned. Her laugh echoes around the room, it's a full, warm laugh, and for a second you almost feel like you're back on the meteor. She composes herself all too quickly.

"We have been fighting in the rebellion for years, having been at a stalemate for quite some time, and you just appear and take out one of the regime's leaders in one night? I don't know what twist of fate brought you here but it might be the best thing that's happened to us in a long time. In fact," Rose gets a wicked glint in her eye, and smiles, "I think we have a proposition for you".

"I think I can guess", you say, an idea forming in your head. Your glasses shine in a distinctly anime fashion, leaning over the table towards them, "You want me to be your hero"

>Be Davebot

You lie, caught between levels of consciousness, between dreams and waking. You cannot wake up to your new life yet, but there is something you can do

> Dream

The dream bubbles are destroyed, leaving nothing but the embers of a dead universe, green and shining in the inky blackness of paradox space, like dying stars poking holes in the void around you. The screams of ghosts being sucked into the black hole ring in your ears. You feel a tug at the edge of your awareness, another you pulling at the frayed edges of your mind, feeling yourself melding with one of yourselves. You

> Be Dave

"Jake, where the fuck are you"

It has been several minutes (six minutes and twelve seconds, but who's counting) since trying to call him the first time, and he still isn't picking up his phone. Your fingers curl tightly around your phone, slightly shaking. Your sister has been kidnapped and he can't even check his phone. That's it, this has gone too far, you mentally search through your capchalog, no turntables. You realise that things have gone absolutely fucking pear shaped, and there's only one way out of it.

"Guys, I have an idea", you begin "so i was thinking if i just use my god tier powers cos im pretty sure we still have those rox do we still have those" she shrugs "and yeah i was gonna just travel back in time and stop him i mean maybe it will make another dead Dave but if it helps get Rose back i'm pretty sure it's worth it". While saying this, you voice grows faster and faster and more like a mumble. You push your hands out into the signature Strider Style Record Scratch Pose (patent pending), and you feel yourself connect to the string of fate deep in the universe, familiar as a recurring nightmare, "So since im pretty sure from my perspective at least i wont see you again or at least _you_ again, y'know, i just wanted to say that-".

The connection shatters in your hands, and you freeze. A bead of sweat drips down your head. The room is silent.

"What the fuck was that, Dave?" Karkat asks, tilting his head slightly to one side.

"No big deal, babe"

BABE. WHAT THE FUCK DAVE, WHY DID YOU SAY BABE YOU'VE BEEN DATING FOR LESS THAN A WEEK, FUCKASS, you think to yourself. Karkat just stares, his eyebrows shot up into his forehead in a way suggesting a pair of satellites in orbit. God, he's adorable. 

"Well I tried to travel back in time and stop Dirk, since come on going on a wild goose chase around the universe would be kinda risky, but uhh..." You trail off and don't really know how to put this, "I haven't really used my powers since getting to Earth-C and I think I forgot how". You feel like an idiot for just saying it. The way they look at you suggests they might feel the same. None of them respond, and the silence grows more awkward by the second.

"The Prince has ascended, but he's not alone", Jade rasps, and her eyes, blacker than the space that powers her, emptier than the Furthest Ring, close once more.

"Why does Jade have a weird accent?" Roxy asks, before his eyes open wide, "Why does she sound like Callie?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just for reference, Dave's hypothesis about his powers is not correct.   
> I refuse to clarify how (Vriska) is pronounced differently to Vriska because I have no idea how it works either (what i do is make a hand gesture while saying it)  
> Also you guys can hit me up on my tumblr, youforgotthespaces,  
> Again, kudos and comment, it's basically my lifeblood.


	3. Execute Order 88

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which irons are shovelled to the fire

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking a while, but exams take priority
> 
> Anyway, enjoy!

> Kanaya: Take a deep breath

You take a deep breath and try to compose yourself, wiping a stray green tear from your eye. "Jade", you begin, "or whoever you are, what are you talking about?". Jade is a statue, and just as silent. Her eyes close for a second and reopen, a near-luminous green meeting your own. Your hands bunch into fists, and you down at your feet. Your only clue for finding Rose is gone, just like that, after leaving some cryptic bullshit. It's like dealing with Sgrub all over again. Now that you think about it, the past few weeks have felt an awful lot like Sgrub, as if there was a constant feeling of tension in the air returning after its seven year absence.

"Jade, what was that?", you ask, but she tilts her head slightly.

"What was what?". You don't really know how to respond. Once again, Jade has woken up after weird cryptic bullshit happened that she would probably clear up if she was around for it. 

"Guys, whats going on?" she asks, looking between the group.

"Jadey, I think you got possessed or something?" Roxy says hesitantly, "I mean come on, that was like something out of The Exorcist" he adds quickly, before finishing with "and it sounded a bit like Callie".

"You mean like our Callie or the Callie from the Black Hole?" Jade asks, reaching for her glasses. To be quite honest you hadn't thought much about the other Callie in years. You thought she died when Paradox Space imploded, but apparently not. It was a long time ago that you have decided it is futile to try to fully understand Skaia's machinations (unlike your wife. You miss her already).

Behind you, Karkat is trying to think up a plan, he wasn't the Friendleader of Team Adorabloodthirsty for nothing. "We need to get through to Jane, Roxy, is she still not picking up?". Roxy gives responds with a negative. 

"So, we're going to need to get her attention", he continues, slowly rising both in volume and stature, dwarfing Dave when standing up straight, "and I think I know just how to do that", a fire grows in his eyes, the red reflecting the hospital lights, making them into rubies, "we're gonna overthrow the president! And this plays right into it, kill two featherbeasts with one stone!".  
The room was silent, almost enraptured by him. 

"pfft, what? Dude there's like, multiple steps to go through before that", Dave chuckles.

"Well, excuse me Dave, but do you have a better idea, because the amount of decent ideas out of your mouth just there was exactly the same amount as the number of shits I give about the current political administration. That is to say, absolutely fucking none. I mean really, my shits trickle down my ass better than her trickle down economics, and don't even get me fucking started on her proposed slashes to-"

Dave puts a hand on Karkat's and starts "shoosh"-ing gently. Karkat relaxes into his touch and starts purring faintly. You don't really know what to think. They were always close before, but this? Did they _finally_ work out what kind of relationship they had? A smile can't help but poke at the edges of your mouth. At least in all of this they finally found happiness.

Plus it's strange seeing Dave interrupt someone else's political rant.

"So what's the plan?" Roxy asks, quickly tapping his fingers on the bedside, "how do we get Rose back?"

You don't really know what to say. It's overwhelming, really, you can feel a headache coming on (you don't know how Rose could stand it). You force yourself to take the same tone as you would with your trainee Jades,

"So we need a first step", you begin, not entirely sure where this is going yourself, "and we know that Dirk has taken Rose somewhere far away, and plans to be gone for a long time", the rest look at you expectantly. "What would Dirk do if he was going to leave somewhere far away?"

"See Jake, probably", Roxy adds.

"Then we go see him" You finish.

"Holy shit Kanaya is the smartest Lalonde" Dave mumbles.

"wow fuck you dave"

"Love you too Dadbro"

>Karkat: Take control

Elsewhere in the multiverse, Karkat slams his palms into a table. "He's fucking _WHAT_ " he shouts, a deep growl entering his voice. "No, you cannot be serious, you're daughter did not-" He couldn't believe what he was hearing. Vriska was a tough kid, and smart, too, but Gamzee was part of Jane's inner circle, he must have been surrounded by guards. Not even Meenah could take that. No one alive could.

"Rose, you are taking my thinkpan, putting it behind the shed, and shooting it. Do you want to shoot your leader, Rose? Do you?"

"Karkat, it wasn't my daughter"

"What do you mean?"

"Karkat, it's _Vriska_ , she's back".

Then the jigsaw falls into place, the ghosts that have been pouring in, naturally the Spider8itch would be one of them. Now that you think about it, you're not sure why this is so surprising. She always found some way to claw herself back to the spotlight. Cheating death by falling into a black hole and crossing into a parallel universe is only par for the course.

"So what do we do?"

"I've already got her interested, but she's not doing this for free"

"Of fucking course, more Thief of Light bullshit. Just what I wanted to deal with right now."

"She wants Terezi."

"Fuck."

You haven't seen the Tealblood in years, decades even. Flew off to find Vriska and never returned, probably died up there. The thought feels like a kick in the bulge. Your old friend, the mercurial girl who had been by your side for sweeps, with her crooked smile and sharp horns, the intelligent, funny, _incredible_ girl, died cold and alone in the vastness of paradox space.

And you never talked her out of it.

The idea sits with you in the corner of your mind like a tumour, as pinpricks stab the edges of your eyes, water eroding rubies. You haven't even thought about her in a long time, God, what kind of friend are you. 

"Karkat? Are you alright?" Rose asks, softly.

You stand up a little taller, rub your eyes and show your teeth to no-one in particular, becoming the essence of composure befitting a leader.

"I'm fine" You say, a little too quickly. She can tell, you know she can, the 'Tentacle Therapist', has her moniker for a reason.

"So how do we tell her about Terezi?" She's moving on, but you hear a scratch of a pen on paper on the other side of the phone. You sigh. No getting out of this one, is there.

"You don't"

"Karkat we can't just not tell her. That would be a terrible idea on so many accounts. What if she inevitably founds out?"

"No, you don't. I will. Well, Meenah and I".

Part of you can't help but wonder if this is a terrible idea, but you know this is the most natural way of getting the two together. A plan has been forming in your mind for a good while now, although the original idea was to use one of the ghost Vriskas that must have fallen in, your Vriska is the best for the job, you know it. 

"Swifer, get in here"

General Eggmop enters the room, her small, curved stature silhouetted against the light from the other side of the door. 

"Swifer, call Meenah, we need to start Plan 88"

"We have a Vriska?"

"We have **the** Vriska". Part of you almost imagines Dave chiding you for saying something as cheesy as that, something like "karkat bro that was like something out of one of johns movies lmao", literally saying luh-mao 'ironically' like a dumbass. You should really call him, but he's off in New-New York trying to find the last of his Alternate Selve's 'Shitty Liberties'. He hasn't reported back in a while, neither has Jade actually. They're adults, they can take care of themselves, a logical part of you reassures, but deep down you can't help but wonder...

"Of course, I'll make the preparations". She turns to leave, "oh, and Karkat?"

"Yeah?"

"There's a message from Jade, she says it's urgent. Something about Obama?"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For reference I initially wrote out Karkat's full tantrum but it a) ruined the flow of the chapter, b) it was waaayy too crude. Like, it's very presence would lift the fics rating to an E and c) I wasn't too sure if it fit his tone that well.
> 
> Anyway, as always, kudos and comment if you enjoyed (especially comment. They're my lifeblood.)


	4. Ready, Aim, Fire

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which things go from Okay to Bad.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The last Set-Up chapter. I've been referring to these four chapters as Part 0 in my notes. After this chapter is the Real Beginning of the story. You'll see why.

You don't know what to say, you glance at the clock and confirm that for the past fifteen or so minutes your life has been nothing but weird miscellaneous bullcrap. This, however, has taken the cake. The burglar has broken in, looked at the cake, eyes ablaze with desire, picked up the cake and started running, not unlike your thoughts are right now. You could take Gamzee's death, you could take Vriska's return, hell, you could even understand Dave going AWOL, but a long dead Earth-president turning Dave into a robot?

Fuck. That.

You don't know what to do, of course. Dave was part of your plan for Plan 88, and doing it without him would be risky, especially since you doubt you could keep (Vriska) under control for long. But he's still your friend, a close one, and you'd want him there for your big moment. He could be in trouble, and if anything happened to him you don't know if you could forgive yourself. Then again, this mission is sure to deal a huge blow against Jane's forces, potentially ending the civil war much sooner. You weigh up the choices in your mind, help your friend or fight the bad guy. Do you want to call off a vital mission for a wild goose chase? Do you want to potentially sacrifice the man you care the most about in the world?"

It's not even a hard choice.

>Karkat, choose.

"Jade, where are you?"

"New-New York, by Shitty-Liberty 204"

"I'll send a team over, I have work to do. Good luck bringing him back, Jade"

Your finger hovers over the hang-up button, quivering slightly, before your claw taps the red symbol and she's gone. You turn to face Swifer, handing the phone back. 

"Everything all right?" She asks, an eyebrow quirking up and a slight wrinkle to the sides of her eyes suggest genuine concern. You try to explain everything that just happened to her. This might take a while, how about we take a second and catch up with someone else while they talk?

>John: Catch up

You drive in awkward silence, not to sure what to say to your son. Surprisingly, its difficult to have a heart-to-heart with someone who you've barely seen in the past few years. God, you feel like an asshole. This is an issue you can't fix with cake and fun pranks and you know it. You give your mustache a nervous tug.

"So..." you start, but falter. Is being a father this difficult? You have even more respect for your dad than you ever had before. 

"You're almost as tall as me now, Harry Anderson!" You say. Taking a closer look at him, you notice the blonde waves that crash into the shoreline of his face, curling at the tips, with ocean blue eyes, wide open below your own, he looks much more grown up now, and reminds you of how you looked during Sburb. You brush the thought away, you've been trying not to think about The Game recently. You've seen him from afar, of course, blood ties are hard to break, but you haven't had the heart to explain what happened to his perfect little nuclear family and why it split.

"Yeah, that's the puberty, dad". You chuckle, and turn onto a deserted country road. "Dad?"

"What is it?"

"How is the car moving without your feet being on the pedals?"

You look down, having stretched your legs down and out, resting atop the petals. Previously you were driving along in an almost trance-like state, watching the city lights stream past, lines etched into the inky black sky like electric wires. _What signals could they be carrying?_ You wonder. You imagine a serene firefly, drifting lazily across the sky.

Now the car judders as you try to consciously control of the vehicle. A powerful gust of wind blows the car off course, and you quickly shift the car back on its path. Your son looks at you, wide eyed, mouth slightly agape, just like when he was a little boy and you would make his toy float around his pale-blue bedroom. The memory tugs at your chest a little, _He used to be so small_ you think, and reach over to ruffle his hair, instinctively. He recoils at the touch, and your hand sits in empty air for a second. "Dad, I spent, like, thirty minutes on my hair!"

"Really? Do you have a girlfriend? Boyfriend? Uh, None-of-the-above Friend?", your eyebrow raises and smirk a little at him. He starts to turn a bright red, and you think you can almost see a bead of sweat on the back of his neck (but it could be a smudge on your glasses). When he reaches Critical Red Mass, you begin to laugh. It's a full, throaty thing, you almost sound like a higher-pitched Santa Claus.

"Well, I don't know if she's my girlfriend..."

"Oh?"

"I mean, you know Vriska..."

The car slams to a halt, and you freeze in place, back ramrod straight. "Really, her? But she's-" _a total bitch_ you want to say, but stop yourself, and imagine what you would think if someone called ~~Terezi~~ Roxy a bitch. You put your best Supportive Dad face on, and give him a pat on the back. "She's cute! Have you kissed her yet?"

He sinks into his seat, and you laugh even more. This feels natural, surprisingly, as if you never left, and the time you spent apart was ephemeral, as if it never really happened. Did anything happen those years? You're knocked out of this contemplation by Harry Anderson's sheepish smile. You wish you could freeze this moment in time forever.

Then you hear the bombs drop, and everything goes to hell.

>Be Jane

You sit, curled over the window of your airship, gold plated trident in one hand and an old family photo in the other. Your thumb gently strokes the corner, Tavros standing in the centre, a small forced smile (such a shy child), You stand to his right, slightly shorter, and Jake to his left, his stocky build contrasting his giant beaming smile (you can't see the bags under his eyes, the editor made sure of that), and Gamzee behind Tavros, towering over you all, a line line with teeth poking out stretches across his face, a drop of sopor on his lip. Finally, your father sitting in a chair further to the right, his hat casting a shadow over his face. All gone in such a short space of time.

You grip the trident a little harder, and a tear pokes the back of your eyes.

Everything has been ripped away from you, and all you have is this red crown to show for it. You try to think of what could have led to this, how the rebels could have done this to you, but maybe its further back than that. Trolls statistically commit more crimes, so you just wanted to protect humans from them. You're not a xenophobe, you're a guardian, and if you made drastic actions, well that's the rebels fault!

At this point, its just self defense, you think.

"Lieutenant?"

They've forced your hand.

"Yes, ma'am?"

This is your only choice.

"Prepare the canons"

The trolls have gone too far.

"The troll neighborhood in New Can Town, where intel says the rebel base is."

This is your only choice, you tell yourself.

"Will do, ma'am"

This is it. You can't help but feel bad, for a second. But it blows over, this is the right thing to do, you tell yourself. Your grip relaxes on the trident and your right hand goes flaccid, the picture frame drops to the ground, and a large crack cuts across Jake and Tavros. You don't notice it. You look out the window, small green and purple lights dot houses across the sky, rolling hills curve across the horizon. A crow flies past the glass. An omen, you think; it's a sign of the end of the war, you tell yourself. Definitely.

A drop of blood-like red appears on the hill, and spreads, seeping across the landscape. More drops splash across the surroundings, a miasma of smoke emanating from the detonation zones starts to rise up, and conceals the town from view. You stand up straight, and dismiss the soldier. The engines rumble at a familiar pitch, the note delusion plays to keep its instruments in tune.

>(Vriska): Look out the window

You've finished regaling the Lalondes with your Totally-800%-Not-Embellished tales of your afterlife adventures, when Vriska invites you to her room to stay the night. 

"Hey you sleep on a bed? What the fuck, Vriska"

"... Do you think I sleep on the floor or something?"

You stare in stunned silence, _She's basically a human_ , you think. How does she sleep at night without those debilitating Trollian nightmares?

"I mean its not like the Horrorterrors exist anymore"

"You guys are such aliens, you know?"

You sit on the bed, a soft mattress squishing beneath you, and rest your head on the pillow with a resounding 'pap'. Vriska's eyes squint a little and she gives an evil smile

"So what's the deal with you and Terezi?"

Almost immediately after, a bright red light in the distance streams through the gap between the curtains, followed by an eardrum splitting explosion. The room rumbled, and you can hear a glass shattering downstairs. You almost welcome the distraction from the question (those are feelings you refuse to delve too deeply into) and bask in the perfect stillness of the moment with only the ringing in your ears as any indication that you're still alive. But for a second, then you notice the smoke, then the protracted silence being finally broken by the sound of footsteps, of screams of crumbling and the crackling of fire.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hmm... what was the deal with serenity the firefly? 
> 
> (please note i have never seen a firefly in my life)
> 
> Ah, this got heavy. Will update tags.


	5. Alternian Idiot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Where an escape is made, both literal and metaphorical.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, a longer chapter! 
> 
> Think I'm starting to find a style now that works for me, remember to kudos/comment once you've read it :)

You look around, the ringing slowly fading from your ears, and take stock of the damage. A stack of records has fallen from a shelf, _Alternian Idiot, Origin of Reflection, Trollz_. Some clothes previously strewn across a chair have fallen onto the floor, a picture of her, some blonde Egbert-looking kid and a kid that looks like... Joke? Was that it? Whatever, the Hope douchebag. Vriska doesn't seem to notice, instead getting to her feet and reaching for the door handle, but jumps back at the thunder of footsteps travelling up the stairs, and the door is blown away by a flash of light. Rose nearly dives into the room, wands in hand and a sparkle of madness in her eyes. She almost looks like how she did back when you knew her, all fire and fury. Kanaya, behind her like a sentinel, reflects the blood-red of the flame outside, her own soft glow mixing to bathe the room in pink. 

"We have to go", she says, sounding far too clipped. Her hand shakes slightly as she reaches for the lipstick, but her face betrays nothing, Jade eyes made into steel. You and Vriska follow them out of her room and down the stairs. You are both handed dark hoodies, and Rose and Kanaya put their own on. You look like a non-descript group of trolls like the kind you'd see walking around an Alternian city. Even Rose has a fake pair of horns, Kanaya bends down, giving her matesprit a kiss on top of her head after affixing the horns to her head.

As you step outside the hive you take in your surroundings a little better. The first thing you notice is the acrid smell of smoke hitting your ~~nose~~ cartilaginous nub (fucking humans), and among the noise and ash you can't help but feel a little nostalgic. _Hell yeah_ you think, _drone raids_. Good thing it's lowbloods and not you.

You make a fist for no reason in particular.

The group all bundle into the family four wheeled device and it takes off, almost literally. Vriska just stares out the window, almost frozen in place, eyes reduced to empty blue pools. The car ride is silent, only the sound of the vehicle rolling down the tarmac (you assume its tarmac, the road has an odd shine that suggests its made of something entirely different). You notice a firefly racing alongside you, or maybe an ember, before it rejoins a crowd of sparks. You lock eyes with a Bronze whose leg is trapped under a piece of rubble.

"Stop the car"

"Vriska, we need to get to Karkat's as soon as possible", Rose says from behind the wheel as she handbrake turns around a fallen tree. _Why are the trees so green here?_

"I need to help that guy", the way his broken body lay on the ground looked so familiar, you were almost drawn to it.

Rose and Kanaya share a look, communicating with the slightest movements, before the car slams to a halt. You dive out the door and release your wings to get to the troll in a single bound.

He lies still, his leg crushed under the debris, a horn cracked and his dark curls are singed in places. You don't know if he's gonna make it, really. You assume he's conscious. "Hey, I'm here to help you out, just stay still." you say, taking the knife out of your sylladex. You tilt his face to the side a bit to get a better angle, and see big brown eyes staring directly into yours, and recognition floods his face.

"You're Vriska Serket, aren't you?" He looks up, eyes wide open, with a spread of bronze flecks across his round face. "You're that girl who killed Lord English! I recognise you from the photos". FUCKING Dave and his "team selfies" on the meteor are going to ruin your escape. 

You can't help but smile a little, he seems like a sweet kid, you feel kinda bad for killing him. Putting him out of his misery is the kindest thing for him, really, you don't want him to end up like Tavros did. He seemed much happier in the afterlife.

"Oh, unless I got my history stuff wrong, at least I won't have to worry about disappointing my teacher anymore, though." He gives a weak chuckle, its pathetic ( _pathetically endearing_ ). Gog damn it. 

"You know, it's almost fate, my name's Nitram, Nitram Yorrke, I was named after your friend, General Nitram, haha"

"What the fuck?"

No fucking way, even _Tavros_ gets remembered as a hero. Your pretty sure you saw a mural with Nepeta on a couple minutes ago, and sure you can understand that, she could be pretty 8adass in her own way, but no. You are not accepting this. Your knuckles turn blue around the hilt of your knife, and you grit your teeth. This planet has gone too fucking far. Nitram deserves better, hell, every Nitram deserves better. Maybe it's your newfound maturity, maybe its seeing the direct result of your actions all over again, but you feel sorry for breaking Tavros' legs.

You take out your old dice. That's it, bye bye covert escape, time to be the hero. 

>Roll

You have the luck. All of it, and the rubble rolls off of Nitram's leg. Whoever said stealing was wrong is incredibly narrow minded.

>Also...

Your name is ERIDAN AMPORA, and you have just spilled coffee all over yourself. You have no idea where this sudden burst of unluckiness comes from and hope it never happens again.

>(Vriska): Help the boy

The rest of the group finally catches up to you, and Kanaya picks Nitram up as if he was only a grub, while Rose checks him for a concussion. Vriska puts a hand on your shoulder. "Nice one, (Vriska). You know, I think he went to school with me, a couple years down." she sighs a little, "You know, I always heard that you were a total spiderbitch, but you're actually really cool."

"Who called me a bitch?"

"The word spider8itch is literally in one of my history textbooks. And I didn't even write it in for that one."

"That one?"

"You don't want to know what I wrote about my moms when they wouldn't let me go to a Grub Day concert a couple years back"

The two of you head back into the car, with Nitram lying over your legs (it's a four seater, helpfully) and you all head up to 'Uncle Karkat's Rebel Base'. You would almost feel like you were going on a fun little trip with Terezi like you would when you were kids. The beaten up troll just cements the image.

>Be Dave

Back on the other side of the universal coin, you knock on the door hard enough to make your hand turn red. No one is answering. The sound of footsteps and men shouting permeate through the door, betraying the people inside. Karkat has taken to shouting "HEY! OPEN THE DOOR YOU FUCKS! THIS IS URGENT" and all the various permutations of those words, hoping someone takes pity and lets you in, like you were a poor orphan in a Dickens book going 'please sir, let us borrow a spaceship and let us fly away to find my missing sister and traitorous bro'. You have never read Dickens in your life but you're pretty sure that's how it goes.

"Okay, guys, I think we're going to have to break in"

"Jade, there are people already in there" Kanaya says

"How else do you expect to get the ship?"

"You know what?" Roxy says, "watch this". And he disappears into the air.

So Roxy still has his God Tier powers, so it's just you that's disconnected, okay, that's cool. Good to know the universe is picking favourites. Gotta love it when Skaia itself is trying to pull shit on you. It's like Sburb all over again, except without the constant threat of death. Oh wait, Rose just got kidnapped, so you guess that might as well be back too. Isn't life just _peachy_.

Kanaya is texting someone, you see blue so its probably John. Where the hell is he, anyway? He just left a while back and never returned, what was up with that? You hope he's okay.

You stop for a second, and start doing maths in your head. Seven years of nothing, Rose gets sick, John disappears, Terezi comes back only to disappear again, then Dirk steals Rose.

All of this weird shit cannot happen in such a short space of time and not have any kind of relation. 

"Hey, guys?" You begin, "Everything that's happened recently, do you think someones fucking with us?"

"In the nook, really hard, probably by the genesis frog itself at this point" Karkat responds.

"Thank you Karkat that is indeed the single worst mental image I have heard in a long time well done" Kanaya gives him a light swat to the shoulder, while Jade giggles.

"I mean think about it, nothing really happens for seven years and then suddenly everything kicks off? Sounds like bullshit to me."

There's quiet for a second. It's a long second, languid like molten rock. Then Jade almost whispers "It was all Dirk, wasn't it", you feel awful believing it as the emotional weight hits you. Somewhere over the past seven years your bro, not a brother, but _Bro_ came back, and you never even noticed. God, you're an idiot. 

The door swings open behind you and your all face to face with Roxy and Jane.

"Jane what the hell is going on in there?" Jade asks, sternly.

"These ships had to be repossessed and are now government property under new legislation"

"How the fuck did you push through legislation you've been in office for under a week?" Karkat spits, pointing a claw at her red powersuit (where does she even buy those?)

"I'm sorry, but I can't answer questions at this time"

"We're not the press, Janey, we're your friends" Roxy says, and Jane's face drops for a second, clearly hurt. Nearly immediately she goes back to her 'powerful yet approachable' presidential face. 

"They were produced and leased by a company which has since folded, so as part of the bailout its under our property"

"Wait, what happened to Skaianet?" you ask.

"Oh, I bought them. Crockercorp hasn't as much a hold on the technology market, but come on Dave, I thought you liked public ownership of property? Now I'm sorry, I have a meeting to attend, I'll see if I can allocate some police resources to help you find Rose" and with that she was off. 

Oh now she brings leftism into this? _Incorrect leftist theory_ , Seriously? While she's misusing Her friend's been kidnapped and she wants to be petty over politics? Well, since there's only one way to go forward now, everything else has gone fucking pear shaped.

"Karkat, do you want to do some direct action?"

"Yes. Hell Yes. Hell fucking yes"

>Davebot: Ascend

You can see an infinite number of timelines in your mind, sharp red lines etched into the void of your cognition, and as you open your eyes you see imprints of every universe stacked on top of each other, afterimages of dead daves, some taller, some shorter, some with curly hair, some with straight hair,and at least one wearing Crocs. Its almost overwhelming, this newfound grasp of your entire psyche, spread across all of Paradox Space, but one thing is definite to you as you flex metal fingers and watch as they gleam in the light.

You have gone full galaxy brain, and there's no going back.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You know that part in [s]dave: ascend where Houston is on fire? mix that with the architectural designs you see in Hiveswap and you get what I'm picturing for the first scene in this chapter.
> 
> Also I have this headcanon that Rose is an insane driver and I needed to work that in somewhere.


	6. Intermission One

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the delay, between my last few exams and binge playing life is strange (how did i not play this until now im in LOVE) the fic was put on the wayside, so here's an intermission for me to start introducing concepts that come into play later while i work out later parts of the story.

>Be Dirk

Excuse me? You want to what now? I'm flattered, but we all know that can't happen. I'm sorry, I know you're all totally disappointed to not get these sweet details on what we're doing here, but that would be a spoiler, wouldn't it? Or maybe you just want these gently freckled lean muscles, the soft, blonde hair, the piercing, yet enticing amber eyes? I wouldn't blame you, let's face it I'm pretty fucking rad.

Take a seat, lets talk for a second. Imagine I'm sitting in a fancy leather chair, wearing a suit that really makes me look good, complementing the sunglasses perfectly, with the katana resting just next to it. I'm holding a glass of some fancy wine, which is probably insensitive when you think about my co-pilots.

Lets talk philosophy. How do we know whats real? How do we know if anything is real, if I'm real, if you're real, if the relationships between people are real? Some of my selves had relationships which others would never, some were really fucking weird, too. Did those actually happen? Rose drew a ring around her little robo-finger, so Kanaya's still pretty damn important to her, but another self she could have been with Jade, in another with Terezi, are those real? 

I guess what I'm trying to say is this: Is this canon?

Is any of this bullshit for the past seven years actually real, does it matter to anyone? Rose told me there's three pillars to canon, truth, relevancy and essentiality. Sure, I can see that John being sent away to fight English was relevant, maybe even essential, but true? Who knows, but I have no intent on finding out.

If there's no purpose to life, then why live? That should probably explain my actions in the dumbass timeline. What do you think happens when a man founds out that the entire civilisation that he built was fake, that it didn't matter what we do, the timeline is fucked anyway, nothing we did in Sburb mattered, Lord fucking English doesn't matter, is none of the suffering we had to go through important because it just exists to service the perpetuation of another set of us?

So I thought about this for a while, ever since ascending, and decided that I don't care. One canon timeline is all we need for existence to matter, so I'm gonna make that timeline count. The alpha timeline has to continue, for everyone's sake. If it doesn't matter, then nothing matters.

Oh, ascending? Yeah that's a tricky one to explain, it just happens naturally a while after beating the game, but you can totally trigger it. You'll find out more about that one later though, I don't want to give you any spoilers.

Would you like to have a drink? I can alchemise anything you want. I am an excellent host, after all.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [lNothing really matters, anyone can see~ Nothing really matters to me~](https://youtu.be/fJ9rUzIMcZQ?t=312)


	7. Pick up the receiver...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When I started planning this fic I planned for around 15 chapters. Here I am on chapter seven having only just finished part one out of (checks notes)... oh no.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who’s doing this on a phone while on holiday? THIS GAL.

>Terezi: 1NV3S1G4T3

It’s a boring day in the liminal space. You sit in your room, the voidlight streaming through the windows, painting the room in pale green, washed with flecks on white from where the stars make their mark, affixed in the universe. Sollux once told you that all those stars are already dead, like cosmic corpses hanging from the ultimate gallows. You can almost relate- being suspended in space, separate from people you care about. 

You look at the blue stalemate you hung from a ceiling rafter and laugh, the stars reflecting in your eyes. _Jegus,_ what a mess you’re in. You laugh harder, doubling over, teal streaks running down your face. 

_Isn’t it HILARIOUS? Everything John did was just a way of ensuring his own death! And the person who could warn him was on a bullshit chase to find someone who was probably dead to begin with? Isn’t that irony delicious?_. It’s not funny at all, you think, cackling in your room. 

You laugh until your head hurts, and in the blissful post-breakdown lucidity, you think that keeping yourself in this place, where you can’t seem to get over anything healthily (as if you could before), is a bad idea. Now that you think about it, you don’t know why you even bothered to get on this ship in the first place. You need to get back to Earth-C. 

First, you need to tell everyone that somethings up. Dirk is acting weird and Rose is a robot. Maybe text Kanaya that her matesprit has been kidnapped. 

At this point you realise that you have no idea where your phone is, you rifle through the chest of drawers, under the recouperacoon, under the stack of clothes on the floor. Nothing. Weird. You try to think like Redglare, and put your mind to work. Naturally, the only conclusion that makes sense is that something is up.

After the mid-morning breakdown you try to proceed to go along your day as normal, at least to pretend to do so. Leaving your quarters, you trace the regular path through the corridors (you pass an air vent and hear the echo of a phantasmic honk. There’s nothing there but you check regardless. Old habits die hard). You pass the door to the command room, hearing the sound of metal hitting wood, Dirk’s voice muffled from the other side grunting “Goddammit, Jake, all you had to do was stay with me”. He’s getting creepier, you think.

Finally, you get to the central room, which Rose fashioned into a common room, with the robot of light herself draped, supine over a couch under a string of diary light, giving her a halo, with a champagne glass full of soda in her hand. Next to her is a board of that black and white human game. 

“Oh, hello Terezi, would you like to play?” She says, gesturing to the board. As she moves there’s a high pitched metallic whine. You assume it’s from her anyway. You take a seat by the white side and start gnawing on a Bishop. Marshmallow.

You use your mind powers to the fullest, every neurotransmitter firing, axons and dendrites spark as a garden of forking paths grows in your psyche. Your pawn is moved to D4. 

“So what are you and Orange Tang doing here?”

A metallic finger curls around a black knight, before pausing and picking up a pawn, you swear you see a yellow sun reflected in her eyes for a split second. 

“Preparing for what comes next” she says, with a small smile, all in the mouth, eyes unmoving. Statuesque. 

“Okay, what’s the deal with Citrus Surprise anyway, he’s been acting really fucking weird” you say, reaching for the chalk in your pocket (it helps to wash out the taste of batteries, not that you’ll ever make that mistake again). You take another pawn. 

“Oh, the Queen’s Gambit? I didn’t think Alternia had a big scene for chess theory?” She says, shifting a knight across the board, “but you haven’t known him all that long anyway, let me be the first to tell you that he was always pretty fucking weird”. She then acknowledged the hypocrisy, Mrs Grimdark. 

That doesn’t surprise you in the slightest. Anyone how likes horses that much is bad news (Equius was an exception to the rule, and even then...) and you’ve smelt those Detective Pony books, annotated in scrawls tasting like the evening sun.

“Okay, third question”, Rose quirks an eyebrow at this. Gog, the Apricot Asshole put a lot of detail into these robots, how long has he been planning this? You shiver slightly. “Where’s my phone?” You ask, picking up the queen and moving it into place. 

Rose freezes for a second, and then regains composure a split second later. Anyone else would have chalked it up to a hardware error, but not Redglare, the Great Legislacerator, Seer of Mind. 

“I’m not sure I can answer that question” she says, slowly, as she moves her bishop across the board. If you were Rose you would recognise this as the Indian Defence from the long hours you spent researching chess to beat your mother in the occasional match, she would inexplicably beat you every time. Unfortunately, you are not Rose, you are Terezi Pyrope and you barely know the rules. 

“Okay, what’s with this vague bullshit, Rose?” You snarl, snapping the chalk in half as fresh red fills your mouth. The dust becomes caught between mouth giving the impression of blood. Anyone else would be intimidated, but Rose is made of a different stuff (both literally and metaphorically)- anyone would be after communing with Horrorterrors. 

“Some things I just can’t talk about, Terezi. I’m sorry” she seems genuinely apologetic “but trust me, you’ll appreciate it later.”

That doesn’t comfort you at all. It’s weird not being in cahoots with anyone. Even thinking the word draws out a familiar pang in your chest. _Oh yeah, that old heartbreak_. Just, fuck your life. 

Rose shuffles in her seat, slightly, and the idea that robots get uncomfortable asks a load of questions you do not want to think about, so you decide to mentally hold your ears and la-la-la. She looks sympathetic, at least, cocking her head slightly to the side, but the hand she reaches over to gently place on your arm in a comforting gesture feels too jerky and cold. 

You then grab a pawn and place it far away on the board, next to the Black territory, much to Rose’s surprise. 

“That’s an illegal move”

“Yeah, but my pawn converted and super religious”

Rose smiles impishly, looking much more like she did seven years ago, and moves the king across to capture a knight. 

“My king transitioned and is now a beautiful queen. I support her”

“Oh we’re doing this now”

“Do you not support the LGBT community, Terezi?”

“What the fuck is an LGBT?”

You throw the knight so that it knocks down the enemy bishop. 

“My knight is a girl and all woman are queens”

Rose, without even thinking, added “if she breathes she’s a thot”

And for the next half an hour or so, life continues as normal. It’s like how it was before, and also, paradoxically, something entirely different. It’s nice, after all these years, to have someone to just hang out with. You laugh and for the first time in what feels like forever, it’s totally genuine. 

Once the game ends, and Rose resumes her old duties (which so far seem to be basic cleaning, handiwork and complaining), and you get up and, with the taste of the black king (liquorice) heavy in your mouth, you head to Dirk’s quarters. 

You knock, hard metal meeting exoskeleton. You put your ear to the door, silent, before finally reaching out and pushing the door open. 

It doesn’t budge. 

You stare at the keypad on the side, and the 0,1,2 and 5 are faded. You give a silent prayer to Dave’s movies he’d pirated on the meteor and start typing in numbers. 

Of course, you’re a Seer. This doesn’t pose much of a challenge to you whatsoever.

You type in 1025 and a green (apple, not lime, you discover) light blinks at you. The door swings open and you look around. The first thing you notice is the large leather chair, and part of you almost wants to steal it. You sit down and learn that it is, in fact, a really nice chair. Then there’s the sword which lays at its feet, which again almost tempts you to captchalogue it just to get it away from Dirk, but you decide against it. It’s probably just some shitty anime sword, anyway. 

Underneath the desk is a safe, made of some dark, cold metal. Next to it is a fingerprint lock and a Post-It notes reading “I’m on a ship with two Seers, I’m not an idiot”. 

_Clever asshole_ , you think. You don’t have any Legislacerator gear to get his fingerprint. The only way to open it is to get him to open it himself. 

Footsteps. Not far behind. 

“Hey what the f- oh whaddup Terezi?”

_SHIT_

As you continue to internally scream, your body moves on autopilot, sitting on the fancy seat, and a cocky smile plastered on your face. You look simultaneously terrified and in total control. 

“Hi Dirk” you say, your voice the epitome of cool and collected. You sound like a real Strider. 

“How and why are you here?”

“Where’s the phone?”

His glasses shine, giving him a distinctly anime look, and he straightens up, before relaxing and putting his hand on the desk. 

“Yeah, thats not happening.”

You look him up and down, trying to work out your next move. You can’t engage in Strife, given that a) he’s a God Tier and b) you need information from him. Run? It would make the rest of your stay in the ship awkward as fuck. You file the plan away for later, until you know how long you’ll be stuck here. That leaves talking him down. 

Sometime during all of this your thinkpan feels like it’s on fire, as if something just below your horns has caught fire. You’re vision blurs, and it almost looks like a film reel burning up. A ringing in your ears that started off dull is now an all-encompassing roar. 

The last thing you see is a sly smile, and as everything goes black you can just make out a “god damn, took you forever to start Ascending, you know”.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Imagine me in the middle of the night googling chess moves because I got an idea for a scene but also don’t play chess. 
> 
> As always, comment and kudos and hit me up at youforgotthespaces on tumblr! 
> 
> I’m starting to feel like one of those youtubers saying REMEMBER TO LIKE COMMENT AND SUBSCRIBE!!


	8. ...I’ll make you a believer

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> [Pick up the receiver I'll make you a believer/a>](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u1xrNaTO1bI)
> 
> ive had that song stuck in my head the whole timing writing the past couple chapters so now yall get to deal with it too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayyy a late chapter and i have no excuse

>Terezi: Ascend

 _In your dream you are on the meteor, facing against Vriska, you flip the coin and it lands down on heads. You plunge the blade into her back and try not to look at her face._

_The coin lands on tails, and Vriska leaves. Moments later you hear Bec Noir roar._

_The coin lands on tails, as the thief turns to leave you stab her anyway._

_In your dream Gamzee propositions you. You think _Fuck it, I might as well hit rock bottom_ and take the Faygo bottle from him. The sugar rush washes away the feeling of regret._

_Gamzee offers you the Faygo, and you laugh as Vriska leaps out from the air vent and tackles him. “Nice one, Mindfang” you say as you get the rope._

_In your dream you give John a final hug and wave goodbye to your old friends, before launching into space._

_In your dream you are a child, the weight of the world not yet on your shoulders, and you talk to the egg near your hive._

_Sometimes it hatches, sometimes it doesn’t. It’s not like your lusus really mattered much in the long run, the dragon never lives long in timelines that matter anyway_. 

_In your dream you are younger still, and a young cerulean climbs into your window. You do not know her name, but you will._

_In your dream you are as old as the universe, teal wings unfurled around you, and watch as the world moves forward._

_In your dream you are every copy of you from every universe, living and dying. You are a living, breathing city, every building it’s own world yet also part of a greater whole._

You open your eyes, and you see everything. 

>Dave: Hang out

You carry Karkat (although it's more like he's grabbing on for dear life, hanging off the edge of your cape) across to the other side of New Can Town. It’s now late at night, and the moonlight reflects across Karkat’s face in a way that you think is very flattering, in a Your-Face-Looks-Like-An-Egg-But-Like-A-Hot-Egg way. You are almost tempted to carry him bridal style, but that might be pushing the bounds of irony a little far. 

“So anyway” you begin, and hear Karkat sigh a little, “Do you think that TikTok is like an alternate timeline version of Vine”. Before Karkat could even begin to respond you continue “Because they both have short videos but Vine was popular with trolls and carapacians and so it like was a big deal for minority content creators but TikTok-“

“Dave, are you fucking serious” the troll asks.

"What." you say, like its a statement, not a question, more like a percussive beat than a word.

Karkat's eyebrows rise slightly, incredulously. "We are on our way to plan a fucking high treason, and you are talking about Vine and Tiktok" he sighs "I mean, its not even a competition, Vine was clearly superior"

"Good night, sweet app, may flights of dumbass teens sing thee to thy rest" you add. God, you miss that app. 

"Wait, what if TikTok is the god tier version of Vine?" Karkat asks, and your mind has just been blown. Metaphorical skull fragments drop to the ground, and a salamander has just been washed in an imaginary spray of gore. The mental image is very grim.

"You know I think we're nearly here, I can see our house from here", you say. You say that every time you fly up here with someone, its just an iconic line to say. Unironically.

As you touch down, your hand brushes against Karkat's, and for a second you freeze, a blush creeping up your face, before realising that the time for this coyness has passed, and the mysterious part of your subconcious that propelled you to kiss him gave you one of the greatest boons you've ever been given. You bend down and give him a quick kiss on the head, and _oh my fuck is he purring? _.__

__You feel a pang in your chest, and you smile so wide your mouth hurts, then a little wider just to prove a point. Just for a second, you think _oh god I gotta tell Rose_ , your mouth flattens immediately._ _

__Diving into your pocket, you take out your keys (with a Sweet Bro keyring, science is yet to explain the presence of real life JPEG artifacts surrounding it), and open the door._ _

__"Hey, dadbro", you say to Roxy, already lounging on the couch, he waves back and takes his sunglasses off, his pink eyes practically glowing in the darkened room._ _

__"So, lovebirds" he begins, and before you can stick your hand over Karkat's mouth he activates Rant Mode (tm),_ _

__"Alright listen up, yes, Me and Dave" there is a subdued 'Dave and I' "are kind of a thing. No, this doesn't change much. I would, for all intents and purposes, appreciate it if you would not make a big fucking deal out of it". Roxy smiles._ _

__"Dude, that makes us basically brothers! I can tease you even more now!"_ _

__Karkat raises a hand "here is the point", then puts his other hand beneath it, around waist height, "and here is you. The point has sailed above your head, in fact I think you are limboing under the point."_ _

"But I bet I look damn good doing it"

You grimace slightly, "can we not swan dive into that Fruedian rabbit hole for once. I'm really not in the mood for incestuous tea party with the Mad Hatter over here, just Alice in Wonderlanding my way through outdated psychological theories."

You take a seat on the couch next to him, and Karkat on the other side. For everything that's happened recently with Rose being kidnapped, Dirk becoming a nutjob out of nowhere, John going wherever the hell he went (can't even ask Rose now), it's nice that you can still hang out with the old gang.

"I think we should get Terezi to help, now that she's back"

It's like you've just had whiplash, when the hell did _this_ happen? You don't know whether to feel betrayed that Terezi came back and never told you, or concerned that Terezi came back and felt she could only tell Roxy. The two competing emotions swirl around your head, like a green and red vortex consuming your mind. Your mouth becomes a flat line, completely straight, eyes (although nearly invisible under the shades) lose luster. All you can hear is TV static until you refocus onto what Roxy is saying.

"And since she has mind powers she'd be a useful guide when it comes to figuring out what to do... you okay, Dave?"

You feel Karkat's hand gentry brush your shoulder, and focus on his warmth instead. 

"I know her leaving hit you hard, Dave, but you need to talk to her"

"So where is she?" You ask, a rare snap entering you're voice. You feel a little better, but still thrown and a little jittery. Then something else starts to sink in, excitement. You remember her promise to come back with Vriska in tow, and although you can't help but feel a touch of trepidation at the Spider8itch's grand return to civilisation, you have missed seeing your old friends, it's been years since the two of you have hung out, played pranks on Karkat (oh my god her face when she finds out about you and Karkat), god, you _really wanna see her again_.

Roxy stiffens slightly, his eyes refusing to meet yours, and instead firmly gluing themselves to his feet. It almost seems like they are running away from you when you try to look at them. If they could, they would physically exit his face, Loony Tunes-style.

"I don't know"

And once again, the rug is pulled out from under you, and as if this unseen riddler has little skill for sleight of hand tricks, you are pulled over with it. _Great_. You think, _another mystery to solve._

"Why would she come back and not tell anyone?" Karkat asks, claws slightly digging into the leather on the sofa, you can almost see the gears turning in his head, eyebrows furrowing and eyes squinting. He looks adorable, like an angry chihuahua mixed with Sherlock Holmes. 

"And did she mention Vriska at all?"

Roxy noticeably deflates. and reaches for his shades.

"Not once." He confirms, and fiddles with the frames anxiously.

That's... not a good sign. You pull out your phone and gesture (a small head bob), and Roxy nods. ( **Gesture Translation: Dave: Can I text the others? Roxy: Sure.** )

Dave 

began pestering  Calliope  and Jade

Dave: hey guys theres something going on here

Dave: but get this and prepare to have your minds fucking blown to the planet fucking jupiter

Dave: although now that i think about it idk if jupiter even exists anymore

Dave: does jupiter exist jade?

Jade: dave what the fuck??? just tell us whats going on!!!

Calliope: and no, jUpiter does not exist in this Universe, UnfortUnately :( 

Dave: fuck dude thats just sad

Dave: can we get an f in the chat for jupiter

Jade: f

Calliope: f althoUgh i am not sUre how that is relevant

Dave: wow beef up your meme literacy callie. i love you but you gotta get with the times

Dave: anyway

Dave: terezis back

Jade: omg!!! we need to say hi :B

Dave: but vriska isnt and terezis goddam gone awol already

Calliope: oh dear, i wonder whats on with her?

Dave: Who knows

Dave: but either way

Dave: were gonna get up to some mother

Dave: fucking

Dave: shenanigans

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this i find fun: writing text messages
> 
> this i dont find fun: html formatting
> 
> blah blah kudos and comment, check out my tumblr youforgotthespaces
> 
> fun fact: the terezi sequence here was originally much longer with an extended sequence showing a human AU vrisrezi as one of the alternate timelines but it broke the flow and was basically just a long life is strange reference.


	9. Ghosts

>John: Abscond

Before you can even think your arms have wrapped around Harry Anderson and you have taken to the air. Once you're well over the top of all the buildings in the city, you look around to assess your surroundings. Fire sweeps across the neighborhood, acrid smoke slowly fills your lungs. As you look down, the roads become a checkerboard and a black shadow flickers across the sky. You smell blood.

_This is completely irrational,_ you think, as your pulse launches into your throat. Your breath hitches and your head feels like old film, covered in static, filled with aberrations, and nothing in its right place. As your brain races, you try to remember what Rose told you years ago when you had a similar episode.

_"John, what are five things you can see?"_

Your eyes flick madly across the burning landscape, wide like a deer in the headlights. A highway, big black clouds, a ship over the city, a bridge over the River Peixes, a firefly hovering in front of you, almost like a Will O'Wisp leading you to safety.

_"Four things you can hear"_

Crackling, car horns, your own breathing (not always this heavy, you swear), the wind blowing around you.

_"Three things you feel"_

Harry Anderson holding onto you tightly, your hands twitching slightly as they tighten around him, the feeling of your Breath cleaning the smoke of your lungs, like you're being revitalised from the inside out. 

_"Two things you smell"_

Harry Anderson's aftershave (you forgot what it was like to be a teenager, and this one was a particularly repressed memory, you have spent way too much time with Barbasol during the Game), and smoke.

_"And one thing you taste"_

Easy, more smoke.

Newly grounded back to your situation, a gust of wind blows you a little higher, and you look down at your son.

"Dad?" He looks up, squirming around your waist as if he was a grub. You try to reassure him, giving a weak smile.

"It's okay, we should go back to my place, it should be safe" you say, trying to convince yourself as much as him. Your arms wrap around him a little tighter, blonde curls brushing against you as he curled up around you, familiar motions from when he was a toddler and you would carry him in your arms. You drift above the city, a slow zephyr making your way through the sky, 

Beneath you, a car pulls into a nondescript house at the edge of town, and pulls into the completely average driveway. Unfortunately, you cannot see who these mysterious people are, nor understand the importance of the house and those that lie within. You will, soon enough. 

>Karkat: Open the door

When the basement loses power and gains a dim red light you know the worst has happened. The light barely making a dent in the darkness almost makes the room seem like a photography dark room, the pictures strung up on the wall alongside maps, schedules and documents only double the effect. You can feel the faint shudders as explosions tear apart the town, and your first thought is _Dave, Jade, where the FUCK are you?_

Then, as quickly as it began, it ended, and you slowly peel away the door, and gingerly pad up the stairs, if you move too fast, you think, the building could fall apart, or you could.

Swifer, in the part of the building that functions as yours and Meenah's house, is picking up bits of glass scattered across the floor that were once the windows. The smoke trailing in and the heat radiating from outside only solidifies the extent of the damage in your mind. 

"Karkat" Swifer says, pausing and looking up at you "it's all coming to a head, now, isn't it", as if it's a statement of fact, not a question. To be fair, it is pretty much a fact. 

You don't give a response, instead getting down and helping her sort through the debris. You pass the next few minutes in silence, your rage stewing in silence, threatening to blow like a caldera, taking the rest of you down with it. Luckily, your personal pyroclastic flow doesn't erupt.

A knock on the door snaps the two of you out of your dark reverie, and gesture to Swifer to stay down, as you slowly lift yourself up and move over to the door, keeping a low, guarded posture to avoid being seen. Tales of men in long, dark coats taking people away in the dead of night, never to be seen again. You never managed to verify these, but the thought chills you to the bone. You look through the camera, and see a group of familiar faces staring back at you, one you never thought you'd see again, and one you've never seen before, but looks oddly familiar regardless.

You open the door an inch and Kanaya blasts it back the rest of the way, her glow switching on as she does so.

Rose meets your eye with an intense look, "Karkat, I have no time for pleasantries"

"Yeah that makes sense, you were never good at that" you say, met with a glare as you usher the women in. As the Vriskas come in you are first struck by how _young_ (Vriska) is. You remember her looking older than you when you were the same age but now? She lacks wrinkles, her black skin not yet come in, and her eyes not yet filled with blue, she has none of the markers of troll adulthood. Even so, she looks younger than Vriska, with lean muscles clearly visible under scarred skin, while her Earth-C counterpart has a softer build, a ponytail revealing wide eyes filled with a mixture of unadulterated fear, righteous fury and a deep sorrow, all dancing around each other. While (Vriska) never had a real childhood, you think Vriska just had hers taken from her.

You want to punch Crocker in the fucking face right now.

"Vriska brought over someone who needs serious medical attention, is Swifer around?"

The Lieutenant runs over with a first aid kit. The two of you look at this new troll brought in. A bronze, with a broken leg and long horns. You share a look, _this is too familiar_. Her and the Vriskas carry him to another room, the door slamming behind them.

"Rose, Kanaya, get in, have a seat" you order, much too used to commanding then comforting. 

The three of you descend into the basement, the dim lighting the only illumination as shadows hang behind you, three demons, or angels, both or neither, watching your every move. You shiver slightly.

Kanaya reaches forward with her hand, a lone finger outstretched. "Is that a new eyepatch?", she gently brushes against the fabric, you can't help but relax into the touch, you're spooked (unsurprising, given everything going on) and she's always been a comforting figure in your life. "Is that bulletproof material woven into it?" she asks, concern flashing over her face.

"Yeah, Meenah thought, y'know, given everything, it would be best. I mean, given i've already lost a fucking eye. If I got hit in the same place, which knowing my fucking luck luck I will, at least i'll be safer. I mean, it would hurt like a motherFUCK but hey, it looks pretty badass." For a second, you have a vague recollection of doodling a version of yourself in the corner of the _Summerteen Romance_ script. Now you realise that, in some bizarre sleight of hand by fate itself, you were more accurate than you thought. You even put the eyepatch on the correct eye for fucks sake.

"But, I think you both know what I want to talk about". You hate this, you really do. If you had any other option, you wouldn't need to do this. The two in front of you have a clear feeling of trepidation. Its like looking in a mirror.

"No", Rose says, knowing exactly where you are going with this. "She's not going with you, she's a child", she argues, fighting back tears already.

"I'm sorry, but we need someone who knows Crocker, someone who could work with a (Vriska) when she arrives, and someone who is smart enough to handle it."

"She's sixteen!" Kanaya says, punctuated with a smack on the table.

You expected this reaction. You understand completely, this world was built on teenage blood, sacrificed like lambs so that the rest could create a universe. You've never had a choice in the matter before, what with the machinations of the alpha timeline, you've still felt guilty about leading them to their deaths regardless. And now you have a choice, and the pattern could repeat regardless.

"If we succeed we could be saving thousands of lives, you know where this road leads if Crocker continues down this path"

" _If?_ "

"I promise, me and Meenah will do everything we can to keep Vriska safe. Do you want me to talk you through what will happen?"

Rose and Kanaya look at each other, another silent conversation that they seem skilled at, you can't tell what is going through their minds. Part of you doesn't want to know. Seconds later, or maybe hours, (its getting harder to tell) and you get your answer.

"Tell us, then we can think about it."

>Karkat: Explain

Here's the shortened version of how Order 88 is meant to go down:

Vriska pretends to give herself up to Jane as a rebellion member, in the hopes of 'brokering a peace deal'. Jane views her as an asset, and will therefore keep her alive. Vriska will wear a hidden tracking chip, when the ship needs refueling and lands, Karkat, Meenah and (Vriska) infiltrate the ship, using (Vriska)'s luck powers to their advantage. Vriska is broken out of the ship and Jane is assassinated. The rebellion uses the ensuing power vacuum to take control and restore equal rights.

"Is this okay?" you ask, once all the explaining is out of the way.

Rose and Kanaya share an uneasy look, weighing up the options. The silence that follows is heavy, filled with a thousand things said and a million more unsaid. Rose has a vice-like grip on her wife's slightly trembling hand, before nodding, ever so slightly.

As you get up from the desk to ask the Vriskas, you thank them both, so quietly you can barely hear it, voice weak from years of sacrifice hitting you in a single moment. You know for a fact that you will do whatever it takes to keep their daughter safe. You've seen enough death for one lifetime.

The door shuts behind you as the fires die down, and for a second, everything is quiet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Vriska should start a band called Vriska and the Vriskas.
> 
> Seriously though, you lot should look at the summerteen romance comic. one of the best pieces of homestuck media imo.
> 
> Thank you for reading! If you liked it, kudos and comment (if you didn't, do it anyway?)
> 
> as always, my tumblr is youforgotthespaces


	10. A Tale of Two Strilondes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> lets just ignore how long i spent away. things got hectic, but hey, we're BACK IN THE SADDLE BABY LETS GOOO

>Davebot: Abscond

You take a slow, awkward step, staggering towards the door. As you reach for the ~~wooden, plastic~~ , metal handle (that, for a millisecond is a knob), fingers dinging lightly against the steel. Your arm jolts backward, with a bit too much force, and the door is pulled back. As you ascend the stairs in the bunker the metal clanging feels all too familiar, memories between childhoods rising through your mind and tumbling over one another like bubbles in a drink, swordfights with bro, exploring LoHAC, fighting trolls, fighting cherubs, fighting people. As you move upward you can't help but think about how absurd the whole situation really is, the universe arbitrarily picking you to be the Knight of Time, and after finally earning your peace shit flies off the handle again. The shit and the handle have a complicated relationship, volatile, sure, but they can't stop coming back for more.

You reach for your phone, only to find it overloaded with messages, all asking where you were and if you were alright. You have the feeling you missed something huge, until you start feeling new Dead Daves, somewhere in the back of your inner multiverse. Something has gone horribly wrong, and as you turn over possibilities, you flick further into your pesterlog, finally reaching the start:

Karkat began pestering  Dave

Karkat: DAVE. PICK UP YOUR FUCKING PHONE

Karkat: THERES BEEN A FUCKING BOMB, GET THE FUCK BACK HERE RIGHT NOW AND IF YOU DONT I SWEAR I WILL DRAG YOU DOWN HERE MYSELF BY YOUR TINY HUMAN EARS AND 

At this point you stop reading, the grey mass of text blurring together, and you pick up speed, running to the exit. This is what happens when you are gone for a short trip, the universe uses your friends as a conduit for bullshit goings on and you need to help pick up the pieces. A Knight's work is never done.

Opening the next door (this time with the correct amount of force, you've always been a fast learner and learning how to control a robot body is no different), you peer out across your surroundings, the sun glaring into your eyes (thankfully they seem to have an automatic dimmer, Obama thinks of everything), and two faces meet your own. In the distance, you hear rustling in the trees and the sounds of war. Your first thoughts are of Jade, more specifically, the sudden lack of Jade. You can hear her footsteps, a distinctive light slow, light step, but it feels wrong somehow.

"Damn, AA, he looks just like you did back in the game", the troll on the right lisps, while his friend nudges him. She looks at you, as if she was scanning your entire being, or soul, for whatever metric she uses to judge you. You feel exposed, as if your entire existence throughout all of time and every timeline is laid bare for her to observe, or maybe you just feel uncomfortable in your new body. Before you say anything, her gaze returns to your eyes. Seemingly satisfied, she extends a hand.

"Dave?"

 

> Rosebot: Oversee

You can't help but feel like a snake, it's irrational, there was nothing you could have done to prevent her ascending eventually, and even so you know it was the most favourable outcome. 

But even so.

Currently she's lying languid on a couch, draped across it like a depressed housewife in a Victorian drama, all she needs is a glass of wine and a fancy dress and she would be ripe for a neglectful husband and a large, empty mansion. Resting you're hand on her head, you sense a temperature of 72.4 degrees farenheit. Roughly normal for a tealblood, so she will likely wake soon. Before she does, however, there is something you need to do first.

Creeping out of the living room, you pass through the labyrinthine depths of the ship. Normally you would feel nostalgic for your time on the meteor, but at this point the novelty of reliving your youth has worn off and is becoming more of a cruel taunt at how cut off you are from your family. Still, you walk on, before pressing your 'ear' to the door and listening:

"Now, look, a human body, even one that’s been elevated to god tier status, cannot withstand the stresses put on it by the awesome power of the Ultimate Self. You’d quickly become sick and wither away. We can’t have that, so before I died, I made sure to create this brand-new body for you. I have to admit, it’s some of my finest work. A real beauty. It should serve you well in your new life. A life where the world will need you more than ever, Dave. Not only this world, but the future of reality. If this sounds confusing, don’t worry. You’ll understand everything once I help you ascend. So what do you say? At the end of the day, this is a choice that belongs to you. Are you ready to accept your destiny, Dave Strider?"

Peeking through the keyhole, Dirk, in a dapper white suit, speaks between a microphone, a camera, and a green screen, with a CG model of Barack Obama on the computer monitor nearby. You don't need a crystal ball to tell you that whatever is going on here, you feel sick to your stomach thinking about Dirk manipulating your brother like he manipulated you (and you don't particularly want to think about why you are still able to feel sick).

After returning to Terezi's side and you pretend to dust the furniture (Dirk never notices whether you do or don't), turning the cogs in your mind over what is going on. Dirk has stolen two Seers and is trying to find a planet suitable for a game of Sburb, but for the life of you, you cannot figure out why. Maybe he, or one of his splinters, made some stunning realisation about the nature of Canon, but that seems a little farfetched.

 _Splinters._

You think back to why John left in the first place, to stop Lord English from rising to power, but your Dancestors were there too, or at least a version of them, fighting Caliborn too. The sinking feeling returns, as the numbers add up. The Ultimate Selves, separating the group, his obsession with Sburb, you feel as though you are missing a crucial piece of the puzzle, and before it falls into place you hear all too familiar footsteps ringing in the distance. You see two timelines ahead of you, one where you confront him, and one where you do not, but only one leads to the fortuitous path.

"Anything interesting happen while I was gone?" Dirk asks, a poker face resting behind triangular shades.

"Nothing at all," you answer, not exactly a lie per say, "Terezi should be waking soon".

As if on cue, she mumbles in her sleep, words indecipherable, and her fingers twitch as if grabbing something only she can see. It almost reminds you of a baby, a concept that feels simultaneously familiar and distant, like a memory you aren't sure really happened, recognition lasting just for a second before floating away, like a dream fading from your consciousness, like an old song you _just know_ the melody of, but when you try to think of the rest it eludes you, leaving the refrain swimming around your mind, an endless joke from your past self.

You try, and succeed, to ignore this feeling of displacement. Probably more ultimate self bullshit.

"How much longer until we get to the Furthest Ring?" You look at a monitor, pretending that it makes a difference given that you can vaguely see where this timeline is heading anyway. 

"Ten days at most". There is an almost imperceptible shift in Dirk's demeanor, but the orange behind the glasses seeming a shade brighter at that statement betrays him. He seems thoughtful for a second, before pointing a bony, calloused finger at the sleeping troll.

"I have more work to do, look after Terezi for me" he says, hand brushing against the katana at his side.

As he turns to leave, Terezi shifts a little, and shortly after her eyes flutter open. Sitting up, she meets your eyes, staring directly into them.

"Holy shit, I have a huge migraine", she squints a little, "and it's kinda weird being able to see again".

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I feel dirty having to use farenheit for a story about american characters when celsius is clearly the superior measurement system.  
> Also the idea of Dirk perfectly simulating the enteric nervous system just for Robotic Realism is pretty funny to me, like Roxy walks into his room, sees him desperately trying to hide a neurobiology textbook and is like "dude wtf"
> 
> Remember to kudos and comment!


	11. Some much needed talks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... Homestuck 2, huh. No matter what, Hussie still owns my soul I guess.
> 
> Guess this is officially an AU then. Probably, anyway, given the dubious nature of canon now.

> John: Make a suitably dramatic entrance

Rushing over to your home, Harry Anderson's fingernails digging into your hands are the only thing keeping you grounded, you fear that thinking about the situation and how the world will likely be thrust into war soon will give you some kind of nervous breakdown, you know, the healthy thing to do.

As you approach the house, weaving around trees and streetlights, their dim glow casting golden highlights moving with enough speed to give the impression of a buttery rave. Upon reaching the critical distance, you summon an updraft to slow your descent and slowly lower your son to the ground, the wind blowing his blonde curls in the air to give him the impression of a Super Saiyan. Not that he would know what that is of course. On the opposite end of the spectrum, you land harshly- one leg bent landing on your knee, the other on your foot, a proper superhero landing, the shock-wave force of it causing leaves to shed from their trees, gently falling to the ground in a way you wished you had, while the nearest window gains a crack, bifurcating the window so that on one side is Tavros and the other Jake, both mouths equally agape. 

It begins to dawn on you that you are getting too old for this shit.

You probe your pockets for your house keys and open the door, when Jake immediately wraps you and your son into a tight bear hug, and you relax into it, soaking up the warmth and comfort while you can. The warmth of this hug is different to the warmth outside, while outside you felt the harshness of a distant blaze, the heat tap-danced on your skin, making the atmosphere hang over you, almost crushing. This warmth feels much softer, like lying by the fireplace while your dad bakes a cake. 

As you separate, you notice the achromatic rays gently emanating from him, dappling across his face, the change in lighting for a second erasing all traces of age, and in that moment you're waiting on the Frog Disk, not knowing how, or even if, you'll make it to the other side of the door. That old cocktail of mixed emotions whirls in you again, some fear, anxiety, worry, but also confidence and, yes, Hope. 

"So, old chap, what seems to be the situation out there?"

You notice Tavros shrink further into himself, dark locks of hair covering his deep blue eyes, olive-skinned hands bunched at his sides, like a reflection of how you feel in a physical form. Like a brain ghost. You can't help but miss Dirk right now, he was always good in times of crisis. 

"Well I'd say it looks like Jane really fucked up but that's probably an understatement" the sentence is punctuated by the distant sound of a car careening past. John had no idea of the significance of this car, both to Earth C's political situation and to the future of Paradox Space, and shrugged it off as people trying to escape the bombed out zone. 

"I'd quite agree" Jake says, before looking over at Tavros, who has been exchanging a few words with Harry Anderson in the corner, the small dark haired boy curled up on the sofa at the side while the taller blonde stretched out across the rest of the couch, trapping Tavros inside his corner, "I'm glad we got out of there before all of this blew up, I can't imagine how it must feel for Tavvy to see his mother like that".

"But how do you feel?" you ask, and Jake's face darkens for a second, like he was covered in the shadow of a cloud passing overhead, hell, given his hope powers there might as well be one, but it passes just as quickly, and big forest green eyes look straight into your own, and you notice a sense of conviction; its different to the constantly earnest-yet-misguided type he has usually, something more stoic has taken hold of him. 

"How did this happen?" it's so quiet you can barely hear, "all of this, Jane, Tavros, Gamzee", his voice breaks a little, "Dirk".

Its something you've been wondering yourself recently, what with all the tumultuous political situations and divorces, whether your choice was the root cause of this, and you had somehow doomed this timeline to a non-canon nonsense world where all of your achievements are for naught, some candy corn dystopia that's all sugar and no flavour. But your son is there on the sofa talking to your nephew, and that's real by any metric, something tangible in this world. 

Jake continues, "We could have done something, couldn't we. Years ago, I mean." Again, it boils down to choices made in the past, thousands of tiny, seemingly meaningless decisions adding up like pixels making a screen.

"I texted mom by the way", Harry Anderson holds his phone up, "she knows we're okay, she'll be on her way down to us soon", he looks around the room, eyes flickering over the people in the room, before settling on the Con Air poster hanging on the wall.

>John: Engage in family bonding

"I can't believe you've never seen it!"

"Come on, it's like a thousand years old"

You splutter, "Yeah but its one of our cultural touchstones, Harry Anderson! The bottom line is, Con Air is awesome, and that's all there is to say on the matter"

"Yeah, maybe for old dudes like you"

"I'm not that old!"

"You literally created the universe, dad"

Tavros snickers a little at that one, quietly as not to wake his father sleeping on the armchair next to him, snoring faintly. As the end credits roll, a gust of wind carries the remote to you, faintly tickling your fingertips as you take it and turn the TV off with a button press. There's a moment of quiet, Roxy hasn't arrived yet, and you let out a quiet sigh.

The noise outside has dimmed, and now only the faint hum of airships flying overhead, and its not long before Roxy knocks on the door. Before she does however, Tavros and Harry Anderson whisper to each other, which you only catch the tail end of.

"Jegus, Tav, that's insane"

"Yeah, but I think, uh, we have to do it"

"I know, I'll text Vris"

You get up and open the door.

> Dave: Start Sleuthing

Its nighttime, and almost deathly quiet outside of the city. The wind, skimming the voids between the trees, brushes your hair into your face. Somehow it even gets behind your glasses and into your eyes. You don't understand how this works, resolving to get John to find some windy way to stop it once he gets back; of course, that requires him coming back from wherever he is, that's another thing you don't understand.

Roxy waves at you from further down the drive, before he winks and disappears. Looking around, you see a team dotted around the area, with a conspicuous over proportion of humans. Jade's voice buzzes in your ear, "I'm in position, just let me know when to move". She's a bit east, coming in from the side, and Karkat is further back. Of course it's you all plan to reconvene inside the building, its just difficult to get in when its so heavily guarded. Then again, it makes perfect sense this house is so strongly guarded, it houses the president elect, after all.

You walk down the driveway, well, slightly levitate above the ground, as you approach the door you nod to the guards. One runs up to you, gun in hand, eyes hidden behind dark sunglasses. You would think he looks like a douchebag, but that would be hypocritical of you. Before thinking, you try to rewind time and avoid notice, before remembering that emptiness somewhere deep down, that severed connection to the rest of Time. As the guard talks, with teeth so perfectly pearlescent you wonder if they're either fake or Jane pays them extortionately (somehow, however, you doubt she pays dental), you can't help but wonder why Jane feels like this is necessary, Earth-C has seriously low crime rates. 

"Sir, do you mind showing me some ID?", he says, politely but dripping with thinly veiled annoyance.

Your hand delves into your pocket, and you slowly navigate around bits of lint, loose change and old crumpled receipts. Slowly and deliberately, your fingers brush the ends of your wallet and curl around it. "Yeah, no problem", you say, being so slow that you are most definitely making it a problem. As you take the wallet out of your pocket, you hold eye contact with the guard, whose jaw is now clenched harder than the wrapping of an airport sandwich. His eyes squint slightly, nostrils flaring ever so slightly. You've been trying to get a grip on both the the wallet and your emotional state for a while now, and the Guard is losing his patience. You'd think it's pretty obvious you're stalling for time by now, but the guard doesn't seem to notice. The way he glances at his watch makes you think he only cares about how close he is to his break.

The guard's mouth goes from flat to a frown when you drop it, holding eye contact. 

"Let me get that for you, _sir_ ", he adds, stiffly.

While the guard picks up your wallet, Karkat growls down your earphone, "I'm at back, just say when to go"

As the guard bends down, and picks up the wallet and hands it to you, taking your ID out with it. 

"Oh, Mr Strider, do you have an appointment?" He's much more cordial now, his voice must have gone up half an octave, and an obviously forced smile crosses his face. 

"Yep", you respond, drawling the 'ye' and popping the 'p'. 

"I'll have to check with Ms Crocker's Assistant, just a security measure, you understand" he says, and slinks away into the building, nodding to his partner on the way. That leaves you and the partner. You lock eyes for a single moment. His wide. blue eyes make him seem much younger than his partner, 

"Dude, I swear I really need you to listen to me for a sec here", the guard nods, and you take a quick inhale before beginning:

"Okay, this will sound really weird but like, do you ever think about how weird sugar is" Jade groans slightly on the other end of the earpiece. "because, I mean come on, on the original Earth people literally died trying to farm this stuff in the past, wars were waged on this shit, and now people are just like 'no you can't have too much of it', because like, its bad for your teeth? Like that's where the line's drawn? Like I acknowledge the health issues but still I just think its crazy that-"

"Oh my god just say the fucking code phrase, Dave, I beg you", Karkat hisses into his mic. You're getting to it, you think.

"-those deaths only matter when its the ruling classes, you know? Plus, like, if I want to have full sugar apple juice, then that's my prerogative if I die of kidney failure. I'll shake a dead Dave's hand in the Dream Bubbles and when asked 'how did you die' I'll say 'doing what I loved' and a single salty tear will drip down his face and we'll give an awkward bro hug like men, not too emotionally vulnerable but enough to show I care. It's like what that old writer, Touchma, said."

The guard merely stares, for a second, equal parts confused and enraptured, before realising you had stopped talking. "Touchma?"

You allow yourself a small, rare smile, and silently thank Billious Slick for creating Alternia so you can learn new interpretations of one of the greatest jokes of all time.

"Touchma bulge" you say with a shit-eating grin.

Before you can fully savour the rather incredulous look on the guard's face, an alarm rings out from inside the building, and the guard apologies and runs inside. 

"Okay, you three, you don't have long, now get out of there"

Jane: Open the door

Back in the timeline of questionable narrative importance, Jane Crocker is not having a very good day. Of course, her father was recently assassinated, which can put anyone in a dour mood. Then her husband steals her son and leaves, neither of which have a known location yet. Then your Clown is god-knows-where when you need him, and you make the incredibly emotionally taxing decision to firebomb the city where the rebels have been based. You just want nothing more than to take a nap, you are feeling very emotionally taxed. 

_knock, knock_

Oh, what fresh hell is this, you wonder, reaching for the door handle, and looking through the peephole you see a familiar pair of horns, stone-grey skin and bright cerulean eyes.

"Hey, auntie Jane?" Vriska asks, "I really need to talk to you"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hoooly shit why did John give his son such a mouthful of a name
> 
> Sorry for all the delays, but i've been getting back into the swings of things the past few days. The next chapter will definitely be quicker than this (famous last words...)
> 
> Remember to kudos and comment :D

**Author's Note:**

> Well, I'm ready to get back into fic, and just before my A-level exams too! Great timing!  
> I'm preparing some big stuff here, (or at least big compared to what I'm used too).
> 
> Please kudos and comment if you liked the fic, my ego needs the inflating :)


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